Well my weekend is pretty uneventful really. I didn’t even go to the cinema nor watched too many movies. Friday night was a fun Movie Night with my girlfriends, which we haven’t done in almost a year since one of them had a baby. We’ve decided on the movie weeks ago, Farewell My Queen, which is fitting since I’ve been obsessing over the French Revolution since my Paris trip in early June.

The film focuses on the relationship between Marie Antoinette and one of her readers Sidonie Laborde during first days of the French Revolution. The whole movie takes place in Versailles which is beautifully shot. Now believe it or not, I have not seen a single movie about Marie Antoinette nor the French Revolution. Though the film looks authentic and well-acted, the film barely pays any attention to the real issues that led to the revolt. The Revolution only serves as a backdrop, focusing more on the obsession, loyalty and betrayal of the three main characters.

As I’m now watching Downton Abbey, the upstair/downstairs lives of the servants, courtiers and the royals in that lavish palace is fun to watch. The scene when the courtiers find out about the list of the 300 targets of the guillotine is pretty intriguing and you could really feel the tension brimming in that dark corridor. The performances are quite good, I’m especially impressed by Lea Seydoux as Sidonie, who’s really the lead of the film. She has a certain vulnerability about her that makes you sympathize with her right away, and she’s a stunning actress who definitely looks more interesting the more you look at her. Diane Kruger is quite effective as the Austrian-born queen, whilst Virginie Ledoyen is as beautiful as she is aloof, which is fitting as she’s the object of the queen’s affection. Overall though, the film is just ok, perhaps not the best films out there on the topic of the French Revolution, but it’s not a bad one to start with.

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For my July Blindspot, I watched Purple Noon (Plein soleil) starring Alain Delon. I’ve seen the remake The Talented Mr Ripley years ago so I knew the gist of it but honestly I’ve forgotten most of the details from that one. One thing for sure Matt Damon is not nearly as appealing as Delon in the role of Tom Ripley, even though it’s funny that Delon barely spoke any English in this film despite being an American character.

Delon with his razor-sharp cheekbones and steely gaze possesses a certain coldness, that dangerous undercurrent beneath such an impossible good looks. I’ll save the full review until Tuesday but suffice to say I’m glad I finally saw this one. I’ve been wanting to see more from Delon after seeing him in a taciturn role in Le Samouraï.

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Now, the rest of my weekend is filled with a lot of drooling over Comic-con in San Diego. My dear friend Melissa of Snap Crackle Watch was there with her girlfriend, lucky gal! Here’s her recaps – Part I and Part II. I was following her fun tweets all weekend, can’t wait to read her recaps whenever she gets around to posting it. Man, I could see why it’s getting more difficult impossible to get to SDCC, I mean the kind of films being covered there is incredible! Interstellar, The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Batman vs Superman, The Hobbit 3, etc. Here are my favorite photos from the four-day festivities!

A bunch of trailers debuted at SDCC, but I refuse to post those grainy, shaky-cam versions shot by fans in Hall H. I’ll wait for the official one, thank you very much. But hey, the one I’ve been waiting for, Mad Max: Fury Road, has released its first trailer online!

I didn’t see any photos of Tom Hardy so he might not have been at the Mad Max Panel but here’s the new trailer. Interesting to see him with his Bane-like mask, ahah. So far it looks very cool though I expect the second trailer to actually show more of the story than just a mash-up of action sequences in dystopian Australian dessert.

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Well that’s my weekend roundup, folks. What about you, seen anything good?

Love that Mad Max trailer. I was cool on anticipation until seeing it…now I can’t wait!

I liked Purple Noon, but being a HUGE fan of the novel and Minghella’s film, I was disappointed with the censorship. The change in the plot made it feel like a very different story…but it was expertly directed.

And Seydoux…well, if you read that post I just put up, you’ll see what I think of her :-D

I’ve been waiting for Mad Max: Fury Road for about five years! I actually blogged about it in 2009, can’t believe we finally saw the trailer. Still have to wait until next May though, ugh!

Yeah I think the homo-eroticism isn’t present in this film but I don’t think it hurt the story. I mean Ripley is a con man and in this film he’s made to be envious of Greenleaf (Philipe instead of Dickie in the book) and also secretly lusting after his fiance, which is VERY creepy indeed.

Cool post. Curious about Farewell My Queen and especially Plein Soleil (considering how much I liked Ripley). You should check out my latest post, where I talk about my adevntures (outside) Comic-Con. You are absolutely right, it’s impossible to get in and it’s the second year in a row that I have to take in the con from outside :( LOVED the trailer for Mad Max.

Just left you a comment, that sounds like fun Fernando! Maybe I should join you next year ;)

You should definitely check out Plein Soleil if you like the character. I take it you’ve seen the American remake? Well I think Delon definitely outshines Damon in terms of being a far more sinister and cunning, plus he’s just such a beautiful man to look at.

Mad Max looks awesome, now if only that’d open this year instead of next May!

i saw the mad max trailer yesterday; looks fantastic; hope they don’t spoil the build-up by putting out too many trailers that give the story away. there’s a built-in fanbase that doesn’t really need to be told the back-story, and for everyone else, 5 seconds of desert and the words ‘water war’ should do. Can you identify some of the peeps in the photos; I only recognise about half of them (I’m not that up on my comic book movie news)

Hi Niall! Yeah I think a brief exposition is all it needs. I need to rewatch the original films again, I think I’ve only seen the first one but I remember liking it. I just updated the gallery w/ captions now :)

I love the Mad Max trailer. I did hear that Charlize Theron steals the movie. Not that I’m bothered, she’s super hot, haha. I noticed Rosie Huntington-Whiteley near the end of the trailer too, another favourite! :)

Nice to see Charlize being all bad ass here, but I think Hardy is charismatic enough that he won’t be overshadowed by her. Not sure who Rosie is, was she the one in the Transformers movie, the one w/ the bee-stung lips?

That Mad Max trailer looks awesome. This weekend, I re-watched The Doom Generation as well as watch Midnight Cowboy and Lucy as well as some special features from the Criterion DVD/Blu-Ray release of Steven Soderbergh’s King of the Hill as I’m finishing up my review of the film right now.

I’m actually in the minority in not being all too interested by that Mad Max trailer. However, recently hearing about how they shot the film apparently without a script and using only storyboards, well, THAT does sound intriguing, I must admit.

Didn’t see or watch anything new over the weekend, still without my home theater so no home movie watching till I found a new house.

I’m in the minority here but I was not impressed with Fury Road’s trailer at all, looks way too much like a video game. And considering that the previous three films didn’t have much of a plot, I suspect this one will be the same. BUT I’m glad they didn’t do a reboot and continue the adventures of Max and I’ve been waiting to see it for over 10 years so I’m glad it’s finally hitting theater. However the film will turn out, I’m quite sure it will be much better than the last Max’s outing, that one was dreadful.

Ooh, nice picks! I haven’t seen Purple Noon (must do that), but I really liked Farewell, My Queen. I thought it was a step up from most modern costume dramas, and the performances and costumes were first-rate.

Wow, a classic film YOU haven’t seen, that’s quite rare Josh ;) Yeah Farewell My Queen is quite unique but I was expecting more about the Revolution. I guess it’s a good start but now I’m curious to check out more films on that topic.

I too wish I could have attended Comic Con, but had fun going through the news updates over the weekend. Have to say that I’m now quite excited for MAD MAX – FURY ROAD after viewing that trailer. It has a great visual look (although we don’t really see enough of Tom Hardy’s Max in it for my tastes.) Lots of other fun stuff at the Con, including the Marvel panel and DC’s Batman V. Superman sneak peek.

Good to see you caught PURPLE NOON, too…a really interesting film, and Alain Delon is a perfect choice for Ripley.

Hi there Jeff, glad to see you stop by, man! I’ve been well, how about you?

The SDCC news and pics are so drool-worthy, man it’s good to be a movie fan these days right? ;) I hope we see more of Max in the second trailer and in the actual movie, of course. Right now I’m not hugely anticipating Batman V. Superman but I sure hope it’ll be GOOD!

I will have my post on Purple Noon soon, yes Alain Delon is indeed perfect as Ripley!

I think Hardy should rule the next few years! He’s the only leading man these days that I think has the charisma of 90s action stars like Mel Gibson, Bruce Willis, and a slew of others, PLUS he’s a much better actor than most of them.

Abbi is also not a fan. Apparently she doesn’t tickle South African fancy. I find her underwhelming, not very convincing or particularly talented, she comes across as exceptionally shallow and has completely forgotten her roots. I don’t know, not a fan.

Bronson is uneven. I like it far more than Only God Forgives, Winding Refn’s most recent, as I’m sure you know. But Bronson still suffers from lack of thematic resonance and thereby substance. I think it wants to be a statement on the West’s obsession with violence, but it falls short of such political observations and instead becomes a non-traditional character study about a man not the least bit likable.

But. No matter the film’s narrative flaws, the style is astonishing. And Hardy. Hardy should have won a slew of awards. To be sure, he won some, including The British Independent Film Best Actor award, but he should have received more.

Hardy’s accent is such ear candy!! Funny but young Toby looks so much like Hardy, esp when he was taking this Shakespeare class that was posted on youtube. He’s wearing a tight t-shirt + jeans w/ short haircut, he looks so much like Hardy in This Means War, yum! ;)

Elba’s natural accent is yummy indeed! Wish he’d use it more in movies!

Damn he looks young and so innocent. Very cute and yes I can see that boyish resemblance. So simple in that grey shirt but super cute. OMG yes that whole post is SOL worthy. Speaking of SOL-ing still have that to work up!! But it’s on my to-do list. :)

Hey James, Fury Road was actually slated to come out way back in the summer of 2004, Mel Gibson agreed to return as Max. But the project was cancelled because of the second Iraq war, George Miller wanted to shoot the film in the middle east and of course with the war, they couldn’t. When project came back to life again, I thought it’s going to be a reboot but I’m glad they’re continuing the story of Max, I’m sick of reboots.

That Mad Max trailer isn’t bad, but The Hobbit trailer….good Lord! The visuals are terrible. i love that picture of Pedro and Nikolaj – it was taken during Pedro pointing to his own face and smiling, showing off how intact he is after his fight in the show :)

Hi Sati! Yeah I’m not as hugely anticipating Hobbit 3 as I did the first two, but I’m still curious to see the final installment. I need to watch the video of the GoT panel, must be a lot of fun! Hopefully you’ll include ’em in the Friday Rambling post? :D

Now why I am not surprised that you are also obsessed with this too? I love, love, love and am obsessed with French stuff, very much a Francophile as well. My sister is also obsessed with Marie Antoinette, she devours that info. I just sent her a screenshot of your blog and she went gaga. Now we gotta go see that movie! Diane Kruger always surprises me she is so beautiful and such a good actress. She seems humble and not overly Hollywood, I am loving her in The Bridge right now. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on the Sofia Coppola version of Marie A. When you come to SD we will have to find a movie to go see, there are a couple good ones here that play the more indie and non-mainstream flicks. :)

Hey Queen Mel! OMG, you’re a Francophile AND a Anglophile too, awesome!! :D I think since I went to Paris I couldn’t get enough of that whole French Revolution and Marie Antoinette. I still need to see the Sophia Coppola movie, I’ll definitely let you know what I think. Yeah Kruger is sooo beautiful but she’s surprisingly a good actress too.

I can’t wait to see you later this Fall! Yes we have to go see a movie together somehow, my poor friend might be so confused by us fangirling, ahah. She’s not into movies or actors, whilst I’ve always been so obsessed w/ them, I just can’t help myself :P

Yes yes I love all things French and British. I think we were probably living over there in a past life. Hahaha. I am sure we lived in the Edwardian Era. Oh those were the good old days. lol

I wonder what you will think of it, are you a fan of Sofia Coppola? If you like her style, then I think you will appreciate her version. Agreed!! My only gf that likes some of the stuff I do is the gal who went to Comic Con, but even then it is limited. Besides her, pretty much no one else likes the stuff I do. I don’t know a single person who watches Downton Abbey or old movies or even knows the names of actors. :( Yay excited!!

Those Regency/Edwardian era are so fascinating, so I totally get it girl! That’s why your nickname Queen Mel is so fitting then :D I’ve always been an Anglophile but I think I’ve become a mini Francophile since I went to Paris lately. I have a coworker here who shares my passion for period drama and cute Brits ahah, so it’s always fun to fangirl w/ her. Oh how fun it’ll be when we meet! Our poor hubbies would be left scratching their heads, ahah.

RaNdom MOVIE TRIVIA …

... on the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens:

The first J.J. Abrams film not to have a musical score by Michael Giacchino. Aptly enough, Giacchino stated in an interview that he would rather hear the music of John Williams in a new Star Wars film than his own.

In summer 2013, it was revealed both Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill had begun a vigorous regimen of diet, exercise and stunt training to prepare for their roles of Leia and Luke, respectively.

While filming in summer 2014, Harrison Ford broke his ankle on the door of the Millennium Falcon.

After publicly declining to direct a new Star Wars film, J.J. Abrams was visited at his Bad Robot office by Kathleen Kennedy. Their negotiations lasted over a month, during which time, Abrams' central concern was the vast magnitude and cultural significance of the project.

Michael Arndt penned the script for this film based on an outline by George Lucas for his abandoned sequel trilogy to the original Star Wars saga. Though few details of this outline have been made public, author Dave Pollack confirmed that the story would focus on the building of the New Republic after the fall of the Empire, that Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo would all appear, and that the children of Luke, Leia and Han would serve as the main characters of the story. However, Arndt's script was ultimately rejected and a new script penned by J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan.

After he was cast, Oscar Isaac revealed to director J.J. Abrams that his uncle is a huge Star Wars fan. As a result, arrangements for Isaac's uncle to visit the film set were made. To the great surprise of both Isaac and his uncle, Abrams then asked if he would be interested in appearing in the film as an extra. Isaac's uncle quickly agreed.

Like the creator of Star Wars, George Lucas, director J.J. Abrams has worked with Harrison Ford before. Ford appeared in Regarding Henry (1991), which was written by Abrams, who also appears briefly in the film as a delivery boy. Ford also acted in the second feature film by George Lucas, American Graffiti (1973).

Gary Oldman auditioned for the role that went to Max von Sydow.

This is not Simon Pegg first role in the Star Wars universe. He previously worked on Clone Wars as Dengar, one the bounty hunters seen in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980). While J.J. Abrams left the Star Trek films to direct this picture, Pegg not only appears in both, but is writing the script for Star Trek Beyond (2016).